Thursday, September 28, 2017

“....‘Who is returning to the work force?’ Mike, one of the good news items in the economy recently has been the rise in the labor force participation rate. This rate measures the share of working age individuals who either have a job or are looking for a job. Do we know who is responsible for the improvement in the labor force participation rate?”

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Buyers are looking...You interested? As new data from the National Association of Realtors tells us, the housing market could be cooling simply because of a lack of inventory.

In this article, Inventory Woes Drain Momentum, the chief economist for the Realtors, Lawrence Yun says, “Demand continues to overwhelm supply in most of the country, and as a result, many would-be buyers from earlier in the year are still in the market for a home, while others have perhaps decided to temporarily postpone their search.” This is accurate for our area as well. However, he continues on to say, “The good news is that nearly all of the missed closings for the remainder of the year will likely show up in 2018, with existing sales forecast to rise 6.9 percent.”Let me know if you are interested selling. Now would be a great time and I'd be happy to discuss the pros and cons. Thanks - Brooke Cashion

We appreciated the opportunity of going to the Kernersville Foundation meeting this morning on the opiod crisis that is ravaging the nation. A great panel discussion was had and really highlighted the issue in Forsyth County. It is something that must be dealt with and quickly as it can impact anyone. If you have the chance, make sure to watch WXII 12 NEWS between 4:00 and 6:00 today as Maddie was interviewed about the panel discussion. She shares her thoughts about how it impacts those in high school. (We'll post the link as soon as it goes up.)

As well, the great NC State Senator Joyce Krawiec presented a $100,000 check to the Kernersville Foundation from the state which will help many people and organizations in the area - thanks taxpayers of NC and Senator Krawiec for your service.

Finally, this was extremely impressive but a 10 year old girl presented the Kernersville Foundation with a check of $2200. The money was raised via a group she founded for "kidpreneurers" - this little girl was extremely impressive...Kim Herman you should be proud!

Monday, September 25, 2017

Good Monday afternoon! As you know, the internet has become a place where most people begin their move - from a home or to a home. Because of that many resources are available to the buyer or seller, including, finding the most professional and experienced agents.

I've been in the business for years and have seen things change dramatically over time with the advancement of technologies. While you cannot be all things to all people, we do want to work to stay relevant on the internet. Because of this, we felt like it was important to update my Realtor.com profile.

I've chosen to do this as it's the most trusted resource and it's simple, efficient and enjoyable to use. As well, it is licensed by the National Association of REALTORS, the country's most important real estate organization.

The internet has given small businesses a great opportunity to grow and expand and that is exactly what we are working on. But more importantly, it will provide us an even greater way to serve our clients, which is what we do best.

But we need your help in order to do that.

Would you take a moment to go to realtor.com and leave me a recommendation? It simple, just go to realtor.com - Find REALTORS - type in Brooke Cashion and go to ratings or recommendations.

We would most appreciate a positive one of course if you find that acceptable! Thank you in advance.

Thursday, September 21, 2017

After many years of a state tax system that did not work for the people of North Carolina, starting a few years ago, reforms were put into place that were designed to improve the economy and attract greater economic growth opportunities by simplifying and reducing rates.

While I was at the NC Chamber, I was fortunate to have been involved, in a small way, with the discussions by encouraging continued action and connecting some very smart tax experts at really strong companies statewide, both large and small businesses to those decision-makers. It was a great experience.

North Carolina is leading the way nationwide. Check out what US Senator Thom Tillis has to say about it.

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

There is a lot of discussion going on in this state and many others about students learning trades as an alternative to a traditional college degree. In a chance meeting at the Grove Park, Jake and I struck up a conversation with a gentleman from Minnesota who was telling us about a charitable organization that he started several years ago. He had just come from a fundraiser in DC, where they raised over $250,000 for the organization Troops To Trades.

As the NC Chamber tells us in Closing the Skills Gap , "For communities across North Carolina, attracting, training and retaining workforce is a top concern. North Carolina’s job creators continue to face a significant disconnect between their talent needs and the real-life skillsets possessed by graduates. Both specific skill shortages and soft skill barriers are constant themes of the discussion. Even as unemployment numbers improve, employers across the state continue to struggle filling open positions with qualified talent.The Department of Commerce’s Labor and Economic Analysis Division recently released its 2016 Employer Needs Survey. After collecting 1,900 surveys, more than a third of businesses surveyed expressed difficulty in filling positions. Finding candidates with the right work experience, education and technical skills were the top reasons cited. Businesses in construction and manufacturing expressed the most difficulty. The survey also found that these difficulties were true in both urban and rural parts of the state."

This organization called Troops To Trades has a basic premise that connects work with veterans and puts them through training to work in trades such as HVAC, plumbing and other important skilled trades. They organize the apprenticeships and help them to work the trade schools and their GI bill to supplement income while training and apprenticing, making it viable to actually live on the wage earned while learning.The contacts in the organization are well-versed in assisting the veterans with placing them in trades that don’t conflict with a physical disability, help them with obtaining the certification, job placement and much more.

These are folks/businesses dedicated to not only serving the veteran but also helping our economy while providing skilled laborers for jobs that are unable to be filled easily.

I love when folks use their connections and resources to meet multiple needs. Check out the website and share with a veteran or a business-owner you know, who might like to be a part of this organization! Well done Troops To Trades!

Thursday, September 14, 2017

On Friday, September 15 from 6:00 - 9:00PM at Harmon Park in downtown Kernersville, the Kernersville Parks and Recreation will hold a FREE family event. Bring your family, friends and chairs and enjoy the movie Moana under the stars. The movie will begin at dusk so please plan to come and enjoy! I'm a sponsor and there will be glow sticks for the kids.

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

One thing we often take for granted is the transportation network that allows us to go to and fro in our everyday lives. It is easy to simply think it'll always be there.

My name is Jake Cashion (husband to Brooke) and I'm now a partner with Brooke Cashion and Associates. I had an awesome experience over the past 6+ years with the NC Chamber. I had the good fortune of working to get money into the transportation network of North Carolina Thankfully, because of the efforts of organizations like the NC Chamber, the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce and others, including the North Carolina General Assembly and NCDOT, there is a lot of work going on in the Triad - to the tune of $2 billion worth of projects.

We don't really think about moving freight and commerce as it relates to real estate. But frankly, we don't move anything, including real estate without a strong transportation network. Take a peek at a publication the NC Chamber put together called "Moving at the Speed of Business"...you may even recognize a name of someone who contributed to this! I'd be interested in your thoughts as all of these infrastructure issues discussed impact real estate.

Read up on the projects that will impact you and your business...for example, against many people's belief, the Port of NC at Wilmington can now handle post-panamax size ships adding greater connectivity to Asia, Europe and the global economy. North Carolina's and the Triad's economic growth opportunities are expanding because of efforts like this. This is great news for real estate!

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Here is a pretty good overview of what homeowners insurance will not cover if you are unfortunately
hit by a hurricane. While this is a news story, I would simply check with my homeowners insurance company about what your actual policy says. Always good to know and have the appropriate coverage!

In this new report, these expert economist show that going-it-alone will cost you more money. Check out this report. We'd be happy to discuss our experiences as well."Saving Real Estate Commissions at Any Price""Here we examine the price differentials for homes sold through traditional agents through the multiple listing service compared to “For-Sale-By-Owner” sales for a variety of geographic markets with data from 2016-2017. In contrast to previous studies on this topic, we find that FSBOs tend to sell for lower prices than comparable home sales, and in many cases below the average differential represented by the prevailing commission rate...."

Monday, September 11, 2017

We often receive questions from clients about "what now?" How do we move forward and what should we be doing? Take a "peek" at this short vlog about how a seller should handle due diligence. As always, make sure to reach out should you have additional questions.

Thursday, September 07, 2017

It has been a few months since I have updated the internet world about all things real estate. Things have been very busy since the last post in March! Thankfully, with the help of referrals, friends, family and others, Brooke Cashion and Associates has closed tens of millions in sales since then and I thank you all for your support!

As you are aware, this is shaping up to be a busy hurricane season. I send my best wishes to all those involved in the Hurricane Harvey storm. That is a tough situation to see and for them to experience and I send my continued prayers to all of them. As well, we now are dealing with Hurricane Irma. The news reports are terrible and I have a very close friend who lives in Puerto Rico but I understand she and her family are ok, thankfully. I also have friends and family in Florida and I ask for prayers for their safety as they will likely be next for Irma as it then makes its way up the East Coast and if news reports are correct, the Triad of North Carolina could be in her sights. Therefore, I hope you take some time to prepare. Here is a comprehensive hurricane preparedness list from the American Red Cross - https://www.redcross.org/images/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m4340160_Hurricane.pdf. Stay safe out there!

The real estate market has been very good across North Carolina and the Triad area. Economic and population growth is helping to drive the positive momentum. We would like to see more job growth like Raleigh and Charlotte, but that will come as the economy continues to grow and our political and economic leaders dig in. However, we still have low property inventory which is causing us to be in multiple offer situations and quick sales as long as property is priced right and is in good shape. While quick sales may be good thing currently, inventory really needs to pick up to continue with a strong real estate environment. If you are looking to sell, now is a great time - send me an email or give me a call.

I’d like to take a moment to update you on an exciting opportunity that Brooke Cashion and Associates is embarking upon. I’ve been able to encourage my husband, Jake, into joining me back in the “family business”. Until recently, Jake was the Director of Government Affairs for the NC Chamber, the state’s largest, broad-based business organization. It was an awesome job for him where he experienced operating at the highest levels of state government. He had many successes including leading the changes to the UI Reforms which lead to a $3 billion reduction of debt to the federal government. He led transportation reforms which is helping to put $2+ billion into the Triad’s transportation network and billions statewide, worked on many tort reforms, tax reforms and numerous other issues that helped position NC to a top-tier state. However, after much consideration he determined that a future with Brooke Cashion and Associates was the best option for the future of the business and our family. With his background, he’ll be able to add a ton of experience which will benefit YOU, my client. Some of you may recall that we owned our own firm approximately 10 years ago, until selling it to Allen Tate; so this is certainly not our “first-rodeo” as far as working together. :)

Amy Norman, my rock of an Office Manager, is still keeping things in order and moving along. She is simply awesome. Jake’s role will be to build out our infrastructure and create additional value for you, my clients. With this addition to the team we look forward to guaranteeing a more fruitful and hopefully prosperous experience for YOU!

Thank you again for your support. I send my prayers to those who have been or may be impacted to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.